but millions of americans are feeling the chill. a cold snap drops freezing temperatures, snow and icy, rockies to the midwest and southeast. a trip south of the border to two nba teams goes up in smoke. their game is canceled when smoke fills the mexico city arena. and survival story. a man survives for nearly a week after a car crash leaves him trapped at the bottom of a ravine. >> yeah. it was a miracle. god made me survive. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 5th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this morning much of the country

is in the grips of a ended up. our affiliate in boston has more on the dropping temperatures and the weather. >> a big cold outbreak is in

progress and it's going to be felt across the west first. look at the heise. 12 in denver. many spots will stay in subzero temperatures all the way through next week. the cold air continues to move down the plains and by the weekend stretching over toward chicago. high of 21. just a goose egg in minneapolis. the only safe spot on the map is going to be south georgia and florida. that's where you're going to want to go to escape all the cold. you're talking significant snow across the rockies but then it works its way toward the ohio valley and reaching back. places like eastern oklahoma, tulsa, 6 to 7 inches over the next 12 hours. ice and sleet. this is what makes driving so dangerous. east ward toward paducah could see over a quarter inch of iegs which could lead to power outages. nasty situation for folks over the next couple of days. i'm meteorologist eric fisher for cbs news. >> it's nasty in denver where

folks are used to the cold. 45 flights were canceled at denver's airport yesterday. temperatures are expected to drop well below zero through tomorrow. the storm dumped several inches of snow there and several feet in higher elevations. rick salinger reports. >> reporter: winter was back and with a vengeance. no day to be out unless you have to stock up on necessities. >> yes, i did. i bought ice cream. >> reporter: perfect for day like this. >> absolutely. >> reporter: at a local hardware store, they were offering remedies for the weather and advice. >> make sure your doors are open underneath your seats so the excess heat from the house can get in there. >> reporter: temperatures are not expected to even reach the freezing mark until the middle of next week. down the road one trucker learned the hard way what a cold snap means. >> that's what happened right here. >> reporter: so cold the brittle line broke, freezing the brakes.

even snow plow drivers were knocked out of operation. >> skpas prating would be a good word for it. >> reporter: he is not alone. >> time is money and we're losing a lot of time. we're going to be working a lot longer than we hoped to. >> reporter: a bad day for him. what about you? >> we're having a good day today. we did the best. >> reporter: in fact, he pointed out the business is he's being held without bail and is next due in court december 18th. and the 911 tapes from the sandy hook elementary school have been released. 20 first graders and six adults were gunned down at the elementary school last december. now, prosecutors and many of the

victims' families opposed the tapes' release. vinita nair has more on the dramatic pleas for help. >> reporter: the news the caller had for newtown connecticut, dispatch was unlike any they heard before. >> i think somebody's shooting here in sandy hook school. >> what makes you think that? >> somebody's got a gun. i caught a glimpse of somebody. they're running down the highway. >> reporter: the 911 calls reveal nothing new about the killer or the massacre. what they do reveal is during an unthinkable reality, teachers, staff members and personnel showed professionalism and courage. >> are you safe right now? >> i think so. my classroom door is not locked. >> is there anybody that can lock it while being safe? >> no. >> all right. just try to stay where you are. >> reporter: some of the family

victims fought for the tapes. >> i don't need to hear the calls. the local police helped to do everything they could to protect the staff and children at sandy hook elementary school. vinita nair, cbs news. and now to obama care. the extensive fixes made to the health care website appear to have helped. the government says more people signed up for health insurance on the first two days of this month than in the entire first month of the website's troubled launch. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> anne-marie, good morning to you. now that the website is working better, the white house is trying hard to get a critical group of americans to sign up for federal health insurance. the obama administration says 29,000 americans enrolled on healthcare.gov in the first two days after it was fixed. that includes dawn aaron from texas. she's a self-employed musician

who's buying health insurance for the first time in 20 years. >> i was very surprised at the prices actually. we entered all my tax info and income and stuff, and i was pleasantly surprised. >> reporter: erin is in her 40s and has health issues but for the new law to work, the white house needs millions of healthy young people to sign up to make coverage more affordable for everyone else. the president made his pitch during a white house youth summit wednesday. >> i hope you haven't been discouraged by how hard it's been because stuff that's worth it is always hard. >> reporter: a new harvard university poll shows just 20% of americans under age 30 plan to enroll in a health care plan as part of the affordable care act. nearly half say they're unlikely to sign up. >> i would rather do the finer things, obviously. i don't know how much health insurance is but i know it's a lot more than that. >> reporter: the white house is

hoping 7 million americans will sign up by april. now, as part of the administration's effort to focus on a different benefit, today the white house is going to be concentrating on insurance companies and getting word out how they are prohibited from discriminating against folks with pre-existing medical conditions. anne-marie? >> all right. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. this morning police in central mexico are guarding radioactive medical material recovered on wednesday. police say thieves abandoned the shipment of cobalt 50 days after taking it. the highly reactive material has been removed from its container. experts say whoever did that is at great risk from the exposure. the ens zens rate is concerned about dangerous materials falling into the hands of terrorists. >> and coming up on the "morning news," taped trouble for rob ford. faces new allegations about the videotape of him apparently smoking crack. and the first dog takes down

a toddler at the white house. this is the "cbs morning n and the first dog takes down a toddler at the white house. this is the "cbs morning news." an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions,

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in florida, wildlife workers will resume efforts this morning to save 41 pilot whales. they are stranded in shallow water about three feet deep in everglades national park. ten whales have already died. pilot whales travel in close-knit groups. if one gets stuck, the others are likely to stay behind as well. and an autopsy shows paul walker died both from the impact of the car crash and the subsequent fire. the "fast and furious" star was killed when the car his friend was driving smashed into a light pole and a tree. the los angeles county coroner says the driver, roger rodas, was killed by the impact. and toronto's mayor rob ford is in in trouble. court documents show he offered $5,000 and a car to a suspected drug dealer in exchange for an incriminating video.

the tape appears to show ford smoking crack. the documents rely on police wiretaps of alleged gang members. and on the "cbs moneywatch," new clues from the fed, and a bra designed to help you lose weight. alexis christoforous is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, alexis. >> good morning, anne-marie. we'll begin in asia where stocks were lower ahead of central bang meetings in the european union and the uk. tokyo's nikkei dropped 1.5%. hong kong's hang seng lost a fraction. wall street begins its trading day after some gains and losses as investors found really little reason for big moves. the dow jones industrial average finished lower for the fourth straight day losing 25 points. the nasdaq was up a fraction. a federal reserve survey found the economy held steady during the 16-day government shoulddown. the government released its beige book survey yesterday. seven of the bank's 12 banking

districts found the growth moderate. most will not change its stimulus program when it meets on december 17th. start the presses. "newsweek" is going back into print. paper copies of "newsweek" will begin rolling off the presses next year. "newsweek" stopped publishing print editions a year ago. the magazine's owner, ibt media, wants the weekly version to be paid for by subscription fees instead of advertising. no word on how much that magazine will cost. well, the super bowl is still two months away but all the ad spots for the game broadcast have been sold. that's one month earlier than last month's game. fox sports says one reason is that the super bowl will be played in the new york market. it's estimated that some 30-second spots sold for more than $4 million. and, anne-marie, you have a smartphone, right? maybe a smart tv? but how about a smart bra? well, it's a concept from microsoft to combat overeating. the smart bra contains removable sensors that monitor heart rate and skin activity which are

indications of mood levels. your mood level is relayed to your smartphone to let you know when you're in danger of emotional eating. and just in case you're wondering, yes, they're making a man bra. >> a manzierre, you say? >> i do. >> alexis christoforous at the new york stock exchange. thank you. well, a 2-year-old girl on a visit to the white house has a close encounter with one of the first family's pets. >> are you okay, sweetie? >> sonny, the obamas' portuguese water dog, jumped up on ashton and knocked her to the floor. she wasn't hurt. she got a personal apology from michelle obama and got some licks from sonny. that's how dogs apologize. a little bit of slobber. still to come, up in smoke. basketball fans in mexico city miss out on a matchup when an arena fills up with smoke.

[ shouts ] guess who's going out tomorrow. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. it is so good. he actually told me that a lot of the foods that i thought were really healthy for me can do damage to the enamel on my teeth. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. pronamel will help protect the enamel from future erosion. ♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack didn't come with a warning.

today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] campbell's homestyle soup with farm grown veggies. just like yours. huh. [ male announcer ] and roasted white meat chicken. just like yours. [ male announcer ] you'll think it's homemade. i love this show. [ male announcer ] try campbell's homestyle soup. forecast in some cities around the country. new york, expect rain today with a high of 60. miami will be sunny. chicago, cloudy, and rain in dallas. los angeles, sunshine with a high of 61. a prosecutor will announce today whether he plans to file sexual assault charges against florida state quarterback jameis winston. the alleged assault was reported in december of last year but the

case was put on hold after the tallahassee police were told the accuser did not wish to prosecute. winston has led florida state to the top ranking in the country and is a contender for the heisman trophy. if winston is charged, he would be suspended from the florida state conference game on saturday. the accuser's family is critical of the police and how they handled the investigation and say their attorney was warned of a possible backlash over proceeding in case against a florida state football player. now, the nba had high hopes for its first game in mexico city since 1997, but the wait will last a little longer for fans in the mexican capital. last night's game between the san antonio spurs and minnesota timberwolves was postponed after smoke filled the mexico city arena. smock filled the arena and the arena was evacuated and both teams left on their buses.

the game will be made up in chilly minnesota. the nfl is fining head coach mike tomlin $100,000. tomlin was too close to the field and interfered with a kickoff return by baltimore jacoby jones. the league is also considering taking draft pickaway from pittsburgh. this is the second highest fine ever levied on a head coach. college basketball's top ranked team goes down. unranked north carolina travels to east lansing and beats number one michigan state, 79-65. the tar heels already have two wins against top three ranked teams this season. so when we return, an amazing survival story. we'll meet a man who spent six days with no food or water, trapped in a car after it crashed. ♪

can you barbeque a turkey? ♪ [ female announcer ] let betty do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. visit bettycrockercookies.com for fun holiday ideas. betty crocker cookie mix. just pour, mix...love. at 4-30 -- why bart says problems like these aren't g to go away. the search for a missing san jose family continues. the difficulties rescuers are facing. and a man suspected in a

massacre in mexico is foundn northern california after me than a decade. how authorits finally tracked him down. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's ,,,, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities often the country. washington, d.c., will be foggy today. atlanta, expect showers. and snow and sleet in st. louis. cloudy in denver.

seattle will be partly sunny today. a colorado man says it is a miracle that he's alive. he was trapped in a truck for nearly a week after an accident. stan bush of our denver station kcnc has the incredible story of survival. >> reporter: this is the 30-foot embankment where as a passenger rick koester crashed, and this is the truck he was pinned in. >> i remember waking up in the truck four or five times thinking i was in a dream because in my mind i'm like why can't i move. >> reporter: for six days he was lying on the driver, his friend who died in the accident. koester had no water or food. >> i didn't have a coat or gloves. god -- it was a miracle. god made me survive. >> reporter: doctors say his body was only 79 degrees when they found him. surgeons had to amputate both legs below the knee.

he lost fingers and points of blood and was near death as his family arrived to see him from out of state. >> the doctors kept telling me that he probably won't make it. it's not that he might not make it. he probably won't make it. so i didn't leave his side. >> reporter: koester's mother had to tell him what happened when he woke up. he doesn't remember the crash. >> but nobody can prepare a mother to see their son like that. >> reporter: doctors tell koester he'll need months to full are recover and more time than that to be fitted for prosthetics. koester, though, plans to walk again. his family believes he has his full life ahead of him. >> this is our second chance with him. i don't know what he's meant to do, but it's going to be spectacular. >> that was stan bush of our denver station kcnc. koester hopes to move in with his family when he's well enough to leave the hospital. now coming up after your

local news on "cbs this morning of the set of the latest hobbit movie with peter jackson. i'm anne-marie green. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms. you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®. ♪

♪

five, four, three, two, one! >> thousands of people joined the countdown to the lighting of the rockefeller center christmas tree on wednesday. the 76-foot-tall norway spruce is decorated with 45,000 lights. after the holiday it will be turned into lumber for habitat for humanity. and in philadelphia, the christmas tree lighting turned chaotic. a fight broke out between two women. police intervened to break up the scuffle. and just to add a little irony, the event took place at love park. well, there is a natural light show going on right now.

nasa says the sun is in the process of reversing its polar magnetic field, and that means we have the best chance in a decade of seeing these spectacular northern lights. ben tracy went to alaska to meet a man who spent years capturing the phenomenon. >> reporter: dave parkhurst carries his camera into some of the most remote places in alaska. he waits for the sun to go down and the lights to come on. he's captured some of the most stunning images of the northern lights. >> well, the scientific term is aurora borealis, which is the goddess of light, fully spiritual because it's so powerful, it's beyond your imagination. >> reporter: when parkhurst moved to alaska in 1981, people told him about these light shows. they also said, don't bother trying to photograph it. when people said this isn't something you can capture on film, did it become a bit of a challenge for you to say, yeah, it is? >> it was the challenge, yeah.

it's kind of a fickle life. film got better and is better than it's ever been now. you've only got seconds. when they explode, they can cover, you know, 180 degrees of the sky in a few seconds. >> reporter: nice warm night in alaska. it was 3 below zero when we visited parkhurst at his home in anchorage. even when it was 58 below, he still went out to see the lights. how do you describe this, what it looks like? >> i tell people it's angelic. it's something that is indescribable to some point unless you're underneath them and you experience it. >> reporter: the aurora appears when highly charged solar winds strike particles on the edge of space. alaska is the best place in the u.s. to see the northern lights, but even here with 20 hours of dark winter skies, there is no guarantee. >> it makes for a long work shift. sometimes you're paid early. sometimes you're paid late or not at all.

>> reporter: green auroras are the most common. red are the rarest, seen just six to ten times each decade. this is one of parkhurst's favorite shots. >> the entire sky was red prior to this, and it looked like you were on mars. it never gets old. every show's like a fingerprint. you're experiencing that moment, and it's over. >> reporter: and then he waits until the next time nature's nightlight returns. ben tracy, cbs news, anchorage, alaska. and that is the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

your realtime captioner is mrs. linda m. macdonald good morning, it's thursday, december 5. i'm michelle griego. >> if you only knew what goes on prior, it's amazing, folks. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. it is nearly 4:30. [ laughter ] >> lawrence, weather, 26 degrees when i got in my car

this morning! >> into the deep freeze this morning! today likely to be the coldest day of the weekend. very chilly all around the bay area. now 23 in napa but just the last hour they have actually dropped down to 19 degrees. 26 in livermore. and 38 in san francisco. more on your weather coming up. >> nuke feel the sting in the air -- you can the sting in the air. this morning, the roadwork continues northbound between 16th and broadway various lanes blocked. so full look at your thursday morning commute coming up. >> chilly commute. >> chillycoute. couple more workdays to go. >> thanks, liz. nine people are recovering this morning after a bart train came to a sudden stop in an east bay tunnel filling it with dust. kpix 5's christin ayers talked with one of the passengers who had to be sent to the hospital. >> i really want to thank them. reporter: melody royal is being wheeled away on a stretcher after asthma aboard bart. she says a couple of good samaritans a woman named amy and a nurse